Jimmie Johnson takes fourth straight points title as Denny Hamlin wins Ford 400

HOMESTEAD, FLA. -- Jimmie Johnson did what he had to, finishing a solid fifth in NASCAR's season finale Sunday to clinch a fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship and, in doing so, set a new mark for excellence in stock-car racing.

Only one driver stood a chance of denying Johnson his claim on history -- his teammate Mark Martin, at 50 the senior member of Hendrick Motorsports's four-racer stable. But Martin needed a pair of miracles to play the spoiler at Homestead-Miami Speedway -- a misstep by Johnson, who needed to only finish 25th or better to clinch the title, and a near flawless performance of his own.

It wasn't to be.

With NASCAR's most prestigious title at stake, Johnson, 34, was prudent from start to finish, leading the first lap to collect bonus points that padded his lead further and steering clear of trouble that befell others on the track and in the pits.

Martin, wrestling with an ill-handling car, never posed a threat. He finished 12th and, with it, ended the season as runner-up for NASCAR's championship for the fifth time in his 27-year career.

Johnson roared into Victory Lane still spewing smoke from his celebratory burnouts. And as fireworks lit up the night sky over the speedway's backstretch, Johnson smothered his wife, Chandra, with a kiss and struggled for words.

Indeed, it was difficult to grasp that this perfectly polished Southern Californian who started racing motocross at age 5 had achieved something NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Junior Johnson and the late Dale Earnhardt never managed.

"It's going to take a little while to sink it," Johnson said. "To do something that's never been done [and] love this sport like I do and respect it like I do? It's awesome!"

The race capped an extraordinary season for Hendrick Motorsports, which collected its ninth Sprint Cup championship (tying Petty Enterprises' all-time mark) and its 12th NASCAR title in all divisions of racing.

Moreover, Hendrick drivers finished first (Johnson), second (Martin) and third (Jeff Gordon) in the standings. And Hendrick Motorsports supplied the engines for the season's sixth-place finisher, Tony Stewart, whose tangling with Juan Pablo Montoya midway through Sunday's race cost both drivers dearly.

Martin was quick to squelch any notion that he was frustrated by yet another runner-up finish for NASCAR's championship, counting himself "one of the luckiest guys in the world" to have been coaxed out of partial retirement by team owner Rick Hendrick and handed the job of a lifetime.

"I'm very proud of what we accomplished," said Martin, who won five races this season and led the standings for four weeks. "On top of all that, I had more fun than anybody! What else can you say, man? I had a blast! It's been an honor and a privilege, and didn't leave him nothin'! We got beat. I didn't leave anything out there."